Symbiotic

Epilogue

After the events that had befallen the girls, it understandably took a little while for them to be comfortable seeing each other again. So much of their relationship had been based on their involvement in the murders that now that it had ended in such a traumatic way, neither of them was sure how to interact with the other.

Roxie in particular was conflicted. She would be lying if she said she didn’t miss the hell out of Eve. Without her, she felt like a part of herself was missing, like something in her life wasn’t quite right. But she didn’t know how to start the conversation. Even assuming that Eve had forgotten about their argument, which was generous in and of itself, she knew Eve had been hit the hardest by what had happened. It had taken weeks for her to even start attending school again, and once she had, she’d been more withdrawn than ever. The teachers had for the most part left her alone, but Roxie had to wonder if it was helping. Knowing Eve, she wasn’t likely to come out until someone dragged her out.

One thing was clear; something fundamental had shifted within the girl. And Roxie had no idea what it was or how to fix it. She wasn’t even sure if it could be fixed; it was entirely possible that whatever had broken inside Eve that day had done so permanently and irreparably.

So to say that she was surprised when Eve finally approached her and gently tugged at her hand was an understatement.

Trying to quell the hope that lit up within her, Roxie bent down slightly to meet Eve’s eyes.

“Hey. Been a while.”

Eve scrunched her nose up. “You took your braids out.”

Roxie toyed with her curly hair, which was lying flat against her back for once. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. They got kinda messed up after everything that happened. All gross and covered in gunk.” She shrugged. “You’re not supposed to keep them in for longer than a few weeks anyway, so at least it’s not like I would’ve gotten a ton more mileage out of them.”

Eve reached out and gently touched the twisted locks.

“It’s not that bad, I guess. I kinda like it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I do think I liked the braids more, though. They were just… so you. You know?”

Roxie nodded thoughtfully. Eve bit her lip.

“So uh, this should be obvious. But I didn’t just stop you to talk about your hair. Do… Do you uh, want to come over?”

Roxie paused, in shock.

“What, now?”

Eve shifted her weight from one foot to the other, staring at the ground. “Well, yeah. Unless you’re busy, that is. You don’t have-“

“Yes.”

Eve blinked at her. Roxie felt her cheeks heat up.

“Well, let’s go. Lead the way, art freak.”

The two girls made their way to Eve’s house. They didn’t speak, remaining in an awkward silence the whole trip and leaving Roxie to think about all the things that were left unsaid between them.

Unlocking the door once they reached her house, Eve stood aside as Roxie entered first and closed the door behind them.

Roxie had to pause for a few seconds when she entered the house. It was completely different to the last few times she’d been there. Unsurprisingly, the house had been stripped of most religious motifs. Only a single painting of Jesus remained above the mantle. Several boxes were stacked near the door, callously marked ‘Louise’s things’. But it was more than that. The atmosphere had changed. The smell of garlic and incense was gone, there was no clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen and no religious broadcast playing on tv. Instead, the house now smelled a lot more strongly of turpentine.

Eve shrugged as she led Roxie into a room off the hall, rather than to her bedroom. “Sorry about the smell. My… My Mom only ever let me paint in my room, because she hated it so much. My dad doesn’t care. He used to smoke a lot when he was younger, so his sense of smell’s not the best anyway. So he lets me use our spare room now. He says there’s more space for me to work in there.” She gestured to the open space in front of them, which Roxie now saw had shelves stocked heavily with art supplies. In the centre of the room was a canvas covered with a sheet.

“Well that’s cool, I guess. And I don’t mind the smell. I get the feeling that I’d have to get used to it anyway.”

Eve smiled.

“Anyway, I brought you here because I wanted to show you something.” She stepped over to the canvas in the centre of the room. Roxie raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?”

“My art final. It’s finished, Rox. I thought you should be the first to see it.” With that said and done, she removed the sheet.

For a moment, Roxie genuinely thought that Eve had done the sappiest thing in the world and just put a mirror on the easel. She wouldn’t put it past her. But after her brain spent a moment putting the pieces together, she realised what had actually happened.

“Oh my god. You painted me.”

Eve nodded. “We were supposed to talk about the journey we’ve made, what we’ve learned about ourselves, how we’ve changed, etc. This is how.” She pointed at the painting. “This is gonna sound sappy as hell, and if you repeat this to anyone I’ll kill you, but… Out of everything that’s happened this year, Rox, you’ve changed me the most.”

“Uh oh. In a good way or a bad way?”

And with that, Roxie’s ears were blessed with a beautiful sound; one that she had thought several times she might never hear again. The gentle, tinkling bells of Eve’s laugh.

“Well I can’t lie and say you haven’t been a terrible influence on me. I mean, I bought my first makeup set the other day. What the hell have you done to me?”

Roxie’s mouth dropped open. “You. You bought makeup?”

“What can I say? I was inspired by your eyeliner game.”

Roxie laughed, and captured Eve in a fierce hug. Eve flinched at first, stiffening; but it took only seconds for her to relax fully into the embrace. Leaning forward, Eve touched her lips to Roxie’s.

Roxie paused, unsure, and Eve’s brows instantly knitted into a frown.

“Sorry if I was too- I mean, I guess I shouldn’t just assume-“

Roxie put her hands up. “No, it’s not that! Just… are you really not worried that your dad could see us?”

Eve’s eyes lit up, and she started bouncing in excitement.

“Actually, no. My dad and I have kind of this thing going on…”

“Oh really? What’s that?”

Eve fiddled with her hair. “Well he’s started working from home. After everything that happened, he just didn’t really feel comfortable being in the office right now.” Roxie supposed she could understand that; after all, he had lost a husband just as much as Eve had lost a mother.

“And we both kind of agreed that since we’re about to spend a lot more time together, we should get to know each other better. So we have a thing now. I go to church with him on Sunday mornings, and he comes with me to a weekly meeting for queer kids and their parents. I help him work on his car on Saturdays, and he spends a couple hours painting with me on Sunday afternoons. You know.”

Roxie squealed. “Eve, that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you.”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, it’s kind of a shame that I had to almost get hacked up by my Mom to get there, but what can you do?”

Roxie went silent, stricken. Noticing the expression on her face, Eve nuzzled her nose gently.

“You know what though? I wouldn’t take it back.”

“Wait, really?”

Eve shook her head. “Nope. Sure, it sucks. And yeah, it’s going to take me a while to get past all that stuff. But if none of that had happened, I wouldn’t be where I am now. And hey, I’m pretty damn happy with where I am now.”

She took a step back, and played with her hands.

“So, I know we haven’t exactly… hung out recently. But if you wanna come over tomorrow night for dinner, my Dad’s made it clear that you’re welcome any time.”

Roxie hung her head. “I… I can’t.”

Eve’s face fell. “Oh… You know what? That’s ok. A lot has happened, maybe I’m being too fast with this-”

“Eve. Art freak! Wait a second. Take a breath, calm down. I can’t come over tomorrow because I’m working.”

“Work- What?”

Roxie nodded. “I got a job at a fast food place. I started last week, actually. It’s not much, but it keeps the bills paid.”

“Keeps the bills paid? What, so does that mean you don’t have to move to Nebraska?”

She shook her head, a wide grin stretching across her face. “Nope. Sorry, but it looks like you’re stuck with me.”

“You know what? I think I’m ok with that.”

“Anyway, I have a shift tomorrow afternoon. But I’m free the day after, if that works for you.”

Eve pulled Roxie into another hug. “Yes. Yes!”

As the two girls remained locked in their firm embrace, they shared a thought. It didn’t matter what they’d been through, or what forces had tried to tear them apart. They had always pulled through. They would always pull through, even when it felt like their whole world was crashing to pieces around them.

It was going to be ok.